Tirmidhi

Explanation:
1:
In this chapter, three beliefs from the era of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) are negated, and in this hadith, the false belief regarding contagious diseases and the month of Safar is refuted. The people of Jahiliyyah held the belief that, without the command and decree of Allah, a disease spreads by itself, that is, it transmits on its own. Islam declared this false belief to be incorrect. Thus, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "There is no contagion (la ‘adwa)," meaning that a disease does not become contagious by itself. To explain this, he asked how the first camel contracted mange, and clarified that the occurrence of any disease and the granting of cure from that disease are all by the command of Allah, Lord of the worlds; He alone is the Cause of causes (musabbib al-asbab). Everything happens by the command of Allah and by the destiny He has decreed. However, in order to protect oneself from diseases, it is recommended (mustahabb) to adopt means while placing trust (tawakkul) in Allah.

The mention of "hammah" (the owl) is in the chapter, but not in this hadith; rather, it appears in other ahadith. The owl is not seen during the day, so it comes out at night and mostly resides in deserted places. The Arabs considered it inauspicious, and some believed that the soul of a murdered person would become an owl and wander, calling out; when revenge was taken for the murder, it would fly away. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) declared this belief to be false and said: "There is no hammah." Even today, the false belief in the inauspiciousness of the owl is found among many people, which is a superstition from the era of ignorance (Jahiliyyah).

Similarly, in the era of ignorance, people considered the month of Safar to be inauspicious, and ignorant commoners still regard it as such. The first thirteen days of the month of Safar, during which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) fell ill, are called "Tairah Tezi" (the thirteen fasts), and during these days, women do not allow any major events such as marriages to take place. This too is baseless. The month of Safar is like the other months; there is no difference. It is also reported that the Arabs would, in place of the month of Muharram, make Safar a sacred month. In Islam, this too is false and has no reality.

Another opinion is that, according to the belief of the Arabs, there was a snake in the stomach called "Safar," which would appear at the time of hunger and cause harm to a person, and in their belief, this was a contagious disease. Islam declared this to be false as well (see: al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith, entry: Safar). We have also discussed these issues in detail in Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of Medicine, Chapter 43, Hadith numbers 3536-3541); its study will be beneficial.

Note:
(Based on supporting evidence, this hadith is sahih li ghayrihi (authentic due to corroborating chains). In the chain of narration, one narrator (Sahib Lana) is ambiguous, and it is possible that this is Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu). Abu Zur‘ah narrates from Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu), and in Musnad Ahmad (2/327), this hadith is present through Abu Zur‘ah from Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu).)